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Dean Gushee

Dean Gushee (‘80) is a master of many trades: he is the Chief Medical Officer and Department Medical Director of Mason General Hospital in Shelton, WA, an avid photographer, and a modern day explorer. Traveling around the globe with National Geographic as an on-board physician, Dean has the opportunity to experience some of the world’s most remote locations and wildlife.
After graduating from Westminster’s biology department, he pursued a Master’s in Biological Oceanography at Oregon State University. He then attended the University of Utah School of Medicine and completed a residency in emergency medicine – a field he is still involved in today.
“The Westminster experience provided a context for lifelong learning,” Dean commented. “It would have been quite easy if I had attended another institution to look at progress and learning as just one more exam toward a goal rather than as something to absorb and internalize for future reference and retrieval.”
Dean accompanied a National Geographic expedition to Antarctica twice, where team members were attacked by 1,000 pound leopard seals twice (thankfully without serious injury.) In March 2013 he was nominated and elected to membership in the Explorer’s Club.
“My career…stems from a willingness to be flexible and look for opportunities,” Dean said. “The unpredictable nature of my career has been very satisfying to me.”